Credit: David Koranyl

Driving gasoline cars is costing California $15 billion a year in health expenses and impacts to the environment, but the state has a chance to reduce the effects of air pollution through its zero emission program, the American Lung Association says.

A shift to electric cars and other zero-emission vehicles could save Californians $13.5 billion in health and climate costs by 2050, the American Lung Association in California says in a new report released Wednesday night.

More importantly, a reduction in pollution would improve health in communities, said Bonnie Holmes-Gen, senior director for air quality and climate change. And the San Joaquin Valley would stand to benefit more than many places in the state.

Cities in the Valley consistently rank among the most polluted in California on the Lung Association’s annual air pollution report card, Holmes-Gen said. “The Valley is a region that desperately needs this cleanup from zero emissions.”